Fast Facts | 2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss (Max Range)
⚡ Power: 760 horsepower, 775 pound-feet of torque
🛣 Range: 478 miles (Max Range battery)
💰 Pricing: Starts at $57,990 MSRP (Base Custom trim)
🎵 Tech: 17.7-inch touchscreen running Google built-in
🏆 Safety: parking assist, adaptive cruise control, Super Cruise
🧲 Towing: Up to 12,500 lbs
🏋️ Payload: Up to 2,100 lbs
Trail Boss Takes the Long Range Truck Route
The Chevrolet Silverado EV rolls into its third year on sale in 2026. What started with just the work-ready WT and high-end RST has evolved into a proper lineup: a base Custom, a mid-tier LT, and an off-road-focused Trail Boss. For buyers chasing luxury, Chevrolet is pointing them to the GMC Sierra EV Denali, leaving the Silverado to focus on capability, versatility, and practical appeal over glitz and glamor.
I spent a week behind the wheel of the 2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV Trail Boss with the Max Range battery pack, rated for a GM-estimated 478 miles. That's one of the longest ranges available in any EV. Add 760 horsepower in Wide Open Watts mode, clever cargo solutions, and a tech-rich cabin, and it's easy to see how the Silverado EV is redefining the full-size pickup.
Big Truck, Bigger Presence
The Trail Boss felt every bit as wild as it sounds. Instant torque launched this hulking truck forward with a surprisingly athletic feel, and thanks to its electric motors, mostly silently, too. It's thrilling, though not exactly precise: under maximum acceleration, it tended to wander a bit from side to side as the tires scrambled for grip, a feeling that is further exacerbated when bitter winter cold sets in.
All that power and torque isn't just for show. The Trail Boss can tow up to 12,500 pounds, with a payload capacity of 2,100 pounds. Towing will cut range, but Chevy makes up for this with an enormous 205-kilowatt-hour battery pack. You can still expect around 200 miles of range while hauling, which is widely impressive compared to other electric trucks. Every day driving approaches that 478-mile estimate in temperate weather, but it'll dip closer to 400 or a bit less when temperatures dip into the teens and single digits. That's still far more than most people need on a daily basis.
Side by side with a gas-powered Silverado, the EV's overall dimensions look roughly the same. But its unibody design gives it a few tricks that its gas siblings can't match. First, there's a front trunk for extra storage. Then, the available mid-gate lets you fold the rear seatbacks and extend the 5-foot-11-inch bed even further. Finally, with the Multi-Flex tailgate down, you can haul items up to 10 feet 10 inches long.
Surprisingly Refined Ride
The Silverado EV's unibody construction and independent suspension at all four corners make it smoother and more agile than the gas versions, though not quite as supple as Ford’s F-150 Lightning, which is more than 2,000 pounds lighter. Surprisingly, the steel coil spring suspension on the Trail Boss was more capable of absorbing smaller bumps and bangs from broken pavement than the air spring setup on the now-discontinued RST, and it did a decent job of controlling the truck’s massive weight and size. The Trail Boss's 2-inch lift adds 24 percent more ground clearance than the base model, allowing it to traverse more unpaved routes.
Big trucks have always been challenging to maneuver in tight places. But the Trail Boss's four-wheel steering reduces the turning circle, making parking-lot maneuvers surprisingly manageable. At higher speeds, the rear wheels turn in phase with the front wheels, improving high-speed stability. A tap on the touchscreen will also enable in-phase steering at low speeds for Sidewinder mode, Chevrolet's version of the Hummer EV's Crab mode, which allows the truck to move diagonally.
Premium Interior Details
Inside, the Silverado EV feels upscale. My test truck came with Evotex upholstery (Chevy’s name for synthetic leather), and it felt nice and more premium than I expected. The truck’s massive cabin space gave it an open and airy feel from any seat in the house, and while the glass panoramic roof didn't open, it still provided extra light and a more spacious feel.
The Trail Boss has heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and heated rear outboard seats, all of which made even long drives extremely comfortable. There are a number of clever and practical storage spaces throughout the cabin, and the rear seats also have USB-C charging ports and a 120-volt household power outlet that kept my devices charged. There are also 120-volt outlets in the frunk and bed, along with a 240-volt outlet in the back that can export a combined 10.2 kW, enough to provide an emergency charge to other EVs that have run out of juice.
Loads of Tech and Safety Features
GM made big news recently when it announced that its new EVs would come without Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and it's absent here. The Silverado EV's 17.7-inch touchscreen runs Google built-in, which was easy to use, and its snappy operation made it less distracting to use while driving. Some drivers may find the Apple CarPlay interface more familiar and intuitive, but Android users likely won't have an issue. The biggest challenge is likely to be the limited number of apps available in the Google Play store, although GM promises that it will expand significantly in the near future.
The good news is that there are a ton of desirable features that make up for this absence, including a seven-speaker Bose audio system, a Wi-Fi hotspot, 5G connectivity, an 11-inch digital gauge cluster, and a 14-inch head-up display.
On top of a generous amount of safety tech, Chevy also offers Super Cruise, which allows hands-free driving on nearly 700,000 miles of highways and other roads, and it's the only system of its kind that supports use while towing. The system isn't fully autonomous, so the driver still has to keep their eyes on the road, and on long trips, this sometimes proved more tiresome than just taking over the steering.
I picked up the truck from an airport parking lot on a cold, snowy night in early December, and Super Cruise worked flawlessly on my drive home. The latest update to Super Cruise displays which roads allow hands-free operation on Google Maps and will automatically change to the appropriate lane for an upcoming exit.
When using a high-powered charger such as Ionna, Electrify America, or EVGo, the Silverado can charge at over 350 kW, which will add 100 miles of range in about 10 minutes. GM also supports Tesla Superchargers with an adapter, although most of those are limited to just 250 kW, and I only saw a peak of 175 kW.
Futuristic Price Tag
Most full-size trucks are shockingly expensive, even gas models, but many Silverado EV trims reach luxury vehicles’ price territory. The base Custom trim starts at $57,990, and stepping up to the Trail Boss Max Range pushes the price to $88,695. As tested, the truck I drove came to $94,440, including the destination charge, which was recently increased to $2,095. Buyers can increase those prices in a hurry with options and packages. For that price, though, you get a truck that's fast, capable, and has one of the longest ranges available on any EV.
⚡ Next Up: Other Big-Battery Trucks
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